Popular Mechanics picks the coolest, quirkiest, and most useful tools for your cookout.

Any guy with serious grilling skills knows that the best BBQ depends on having the proper tools and equipment. Unfortunately, many backyard cookout chefs step up to the flames armed with little more than a fork and a spatula. Where's the fun in that?

Fork It Over

Fork It Over

1. Fork It Over, $13

You gotta love the name of this cleverly designed barbecue fork that looks like a weapon from Braveheart. It has two long, stout tines — as any respectable BBQ fork should have — and a 13-in.-long hardwood handle. However, what makes this fork nasty (in a good way) is that protruding from each side of the main tines are two sharpened spikes designed for flipping over slabs of meat with just a twist of the wrist. This fork just might be the perfect gift for the carnivore in your life.

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Dual Grill/Griddle Pan

Dual Grill/Griddle Pan

2. Dual Grill/Griddle Pan, $20

This versatile grill-top accessory takes the frustration out of cooking small and delicate foods, such as vegetables, seafood, and fruit, that have a tendency to fall through cooking grates. It's also useful for searing all cuts of meat. The split-personality pan has a solid, ridged griddle on one side (for steaks, chicken, and fish) and a perforated grill (for shellfish and vegetables) on the other. It measures 12 by 16 in., and is finished with nonstick porcelain enamel for easy cleaning.

Fork It Over

1. Fork It Over, $13

You gotta love the name of this cleverly designed barbecue fork that looks like a weapon from Braveheart. It has two long, stout tines — as any respectable BBQ fork should have — and a 13-in.-long hardwood handle. However, what makes this fork nasty (in a good way) is that protruding from each side of the main tines are two sharpened spikes designed for flipping over slabs of meat with just a twist of the wrist. This fork just might be the perfect gift for the carnivore in your life.

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Dual Grill/Griddle Pan

2. Dual Grill/Griddle Pan, $20

This versatile grill-top accessory takes the frustration out of cooking small and delicate foods, such as vegetables, seafood, and fruit, that have a tendency to fall through cooking grates. It's also useful for searing all cuts of meat. The split-personality pan has a solid, ridged griddle on one side (for steaks, chicken, and fish) and a perforated grill (for shellfish and vegetables) on the other. It measures 12 by 16 in., and is finished with nonstick porcelain enamel for easy cleaning.

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The Vertical Chicken Roaster

3. The Vertical Chicken Roaster, $30

As its name so proudly proclaims, the VCR holds a whole chicken — up to 12 pounds — upright as it roasts. This heavy-duty, stainless-steel skewer has a center reservoir that holds 12 ounces of beer, which adds flavor and moisture to the chicken as it cooks. (You could also use water, but why?) This particular beer chicken roaster stands out from the rest thanks to an integral 12-in.-dia. cooking pan, which allows you to simultaneously fire-roast vegetables.

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The Grillslinger Utensil Belt

4. The Grillslinger Utensil Belt, $55

It's a carpenter's tool belt designed for backyard grillers. Think Norm Abram meets Bobby Flay. Made of breathable, durable nylon, the belt has three pouches and comes equipped with a stainless-steel spatula and tongs. The insulated third pouch holsters a 12-ounce beverage can or bottle. The belt's quick-snap buckle adjusts to a generous 60 in. wide, and the price includes the personalized touch of a capital letter monogrammed onto one of the pouches.

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Deluxe Interchangeable Branding Set

5. Deluxe Interchangeable Branding Set, $80

Unlike any meat-branding tool I've ever seen, this kit comes with two branding irons and an entire alphabet of capital letters — plus an ampersand symbol — so you can personalize grilled meats for your guests. Simply clamp up to three letters into the branding iron, then set it over the grill. Once it's hot, press the iron against the cooked meat to brand it. Is this a great country or what?

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Grill Alert Talking Meat Thermometer

6. Grill Alert Talking Meat Thermometer, $75

This high-tech temperature taker pages you with audible updates as meat cooks on the grill. Simply insert the stainless-steel probe into the meat, select the meat type (beef, lamb, veal, hamburger, pork, turkey, chicken, or fish), then choose how you want it cooked (rare, medium rare, medium, or well done). Clip the remote receiver onto your belt and walk away to mingle with guests or work in the yard while dinner cooks. The wireless transmitter can send temperature readings up to 300 ft. away. A voice prompt will alert you when the meat is "almost ready," and then again when it's "ready." The transmitter requires two AA batteries; the receiver runs on two AAAs (batteries not included). If you're looking for something a little less sophisticated — in other words, less expensive — check out the Chef's Thermometer Fork ($30), which has an instant stab-it-and-read-it digital temperature display.

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Oxo Good Grips Silicone Barbecue Mitt

7. Oxo Good Grips Silicone Barbecue Mitt, $25

Go ahead and laugh, but the next time you singe your knuckles reaching over a hot grill, you'll wish you were wearing this 17-in.-long breakthrough in oven-mitt technology. Made of soft, pliable silicone, it's heat-resistant to 600 degrees F for superior protection from high temperatures, flames, and steam. The mitt's interior is lined with soft, stay-cool fabric to help eliminate sweating. Its grooved-silicone gripping surface offers greater flexibility and improved slip resistance, and the extra-long cuff protects your wrist and forearm. The Good Grips mitt fits on the right or left hand, and has a convenient hanging loop and an embedded magnet for attachment to metal surfaces.

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Propane Gas Monitor Gauge

8. The Propane Gas Monitor Gauge, $22

Forever end the frustration and humiliation of running out of gas in the middle of a big cookout — because there's nothing sadder than a partially seared sirloin slowly turning cold. Simply thread the gauge onto your gas cylinder, and then connect the grill's regulator. Both connections are hand-tightened, so no wrench is needed. The needle gauge and color-coded display window give clear indications of the gas level: Green (plenty of fuel), Yellow (early warning), and Red (running on fumes). For improved accuracy, the gauge even compensates for the air temperature by use of temperature bands: Hot, Cool, and Cold. (Propane vaporizes at different rates depending on air temperature, and that wreaks havoc with lesser gas gauges.) For a precise reading, simply match the band with the day's approximate air temperature. Note that this particular gauge fits all propane tanks (up to 100 pounds) manufactured after 1995.